Portable water pump



R. J. BECKETT PORTABLE WATER PUMP Jan. 20, 1.970

I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1968 IN VENTOR. Poaier J5me! 1970 R. J. BECKETT 3,

PORTABLE WATER PUMP Filed June 26. 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. @aawr 54m???- Jan. 20, 1970 R. .J. BECKETT 3,

PORTABLE WATER PUMP Filed June 26. 1968 3 Sheets-$heet 3 kl M INVENTOR. 06597 Jgi'CXEfr W3 W d/7 United States Patent 3,490,380 PORTABLE WATER PUMP Robert J. Beckett, Orangevale, Calif. (6000 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights, Calif. 95610) Filed June 26, 1968, Ser. No. 740,300 Int. Cl. F04d 3/00, 13/02 U.S. Cl. 10387 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to improvements in portable water pumps.

It is frequently desirable to pump water from one location to another in a situation where a permanent pump installation is not feasible. For example, in flood conditions, temporary, high volume pump capabilities are often urgently needed. Other applications are construction jobs, such as highway building, wherein tank trucks are constantly on the move and which require large quantities of water for sprinkling and other purposes as the highway construction proceeds.

Still other situations are encountered, or exist, wherein it is desired to take water from a lake, pond, canal, stream, river or other watercourse and pump the water to another location. In substantially all of these situations the banks of the waterway are inclined at an angle, thereby rendering the usual portable pump unsuitable for flexible, high volume use.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a portable water pump which particularly lends itself to use in conjunction with the inclined banks of a water source.

It is another object of the invention to provide a portable water pump which can readily be towed on the highway and which can, with facility, be placed in operating condition at the desired pump site.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a portable water pump which is extraordinarily versatile and flexible in that it lends itself to installation with a wide variety of terrains, streambed contours and other conditions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable water pump which is not only relatively inexpensive with respect to acquisition cost, but which is very economical as to upkeep and repair owing to the rugged nature of its construction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a generally improved portable water pump.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in the embodiment described in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view in outline, showing in full line the arrangement of the parts during towing and as the trailer is being backed up on the bank of the waterway, the broken line indicating the discharge pipe segment swung into and locked in operating position;

FIGURE 2 is a view comparable to FIGURE 1 but with the apparatus in fully installed condition, perparatory for the pickup truck to leave the site;

3,490,380 Patented Jan. 20, 1970 FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale, showing the device in assembled condition, portions of the elements being broken away to reduce the extent of the h ure;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the folding pipe joint, with the two pipe flanges in open position; and,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the pipe joint structure showing the two pipe segments in closed position.

While the portable water pump of the invention is susceptible of numerous physical embodiments, depending upon the environment and requirements of use, substantial numbers of the herein shown and described embodiment have been made, tested and used under a wide variety of field conditions and all have performed in an eminently satisfactory manner.

The portable water pump of the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 12, comprises a trailer 13 supported on ground engaging wheels 14. The trailer has a forwardly extending draw bar 16 carrying a towing hitch 17 engageable with the after end of a towing vehicle 18, such as a pickup truck.

Mounted adjacent the forward end of the parallel fore and aft members 19 and 20 of the trailer frame, and substantially perpendicular to the plane of the trailer frame, is a generally vertical framework 21 triangular in front elevation (see FIGURE 3) and including a pair of legs 22 and 23 terminating in an apex 24 and spanned adjacent their lower ends by a horizontal brace 26 connecting the forward ends of the fore and aft frame members 19 and 20. A cross brace 27 connects the after ends of members 19 and 20.

The fore and aft frame member 20 is elongated rearwardly and at its after end is joined to a diagonal member 28 extending from the after end of the frame member 19, the junction of the members 20 and 28 carrying a platform 29.

Mounted on the trailer 13 and on the vertical framework 21 is a stationary pipe segment, generally designated by the reference numeral 31. The forward end of the pipe segment 31 is welded to a centrally apertured steel plate 32 mounted on the forward side of the tripod legs 22 and '23 and rather high up, near the apex 24 (see FIG- URE 3).

The pipe 31 is in registry with the central opening 33 in the plate 32 and from the plate 32 the pipe extends rearwardly and downwardly as well as somewhat diagonally. This is to say, the forward end of the pipe section 34 of the stationary pipe segment 31 is centered on the median, vertical, longitudinal plane of the trailer 13. However, as appears most clearly in FIGURE 3, the platform 29 supporting the pipe section 36 is laterally offset and is, in fact, superposed over and parallel to the longitudinal frame rail 20. Thus, in extending between the tripod plate 32 and the forward end 37 of the after pipe section 36, the pipe section 34 is inclined diagonally as well as rearwardly and downwardly.

The rearwardly extending pipe section 36 has mounted thereon a pump bowl assembly, generally designated by the reference numeral 41 and a strongly constructed, rust resisting strainer 42 of substantially conical configuration. While forming an important part of the operation of the device, the pump and strainer assemblies do not lie at the core of the present invention and are therefore neither shown nor described in detail.

The pump assembly 41 can be of any suitable variety, such as a propeller or other axial flow type, and is driven, for example, by a propeller drive shaft 44 extending through a packing gland 46 on the lower after wall of the inclined pipe section 34, the gland being supported by struts 45.

A drive shaft assembly 47 and bearing assembly 48, both of conventional make, connect the drive shaft 44 to a standard right-angled gear assembly 49 connected, in turn, through a flexible coupling 51 to a prime mover 52, such as an internal combustion engine. The engine 52, the gear 49 and accessories, such as a battery box 53, are mounted on appropriate structural members secured to the trailer frame 13.

' An important feature of the invention is the forward tilt or angular disposition of the engine. As appears most clearly in FIGURES 1-3, the median, vertical, longitudinal plane through the engine is forwardly inclined relative to the perpendicular to the general plane of the trailer frame and is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the trailer. As a result, when the' trailer is positioned in its inclined, operative attitude, as in FIGURE 2, the engine is substantially in a normal, upright attitude. The angle of inclination of the engine can be established at a given angular amount, in dependence upon the angular inclination of the average bank 61, or levee, to be encountered.

It is also possible, although not shown herein, to mount the engine on angularly adjustable blocks affording, within limits, any desired degree of angular attitude.

The foregoing descriptive material relates for the most part to the stationary pipe segment assembly, which also includes the engine and pump and which can therefore be conveniently characterized as the water intake members.

Water delivery is eifected through a discharge member comprising a movable pipe segment 63 including a centrally apertured base plate 64, or flange, hingeably mounted on an inclined hinge 66 located along the inclined nether margin (see FIGURE 3) of the fixed plate 32.

The swingable pipe segment 63 conveniently includes a base section 67 welded substantially perpendicularly to the base flange 64 and in registry with the flange opening. Depending upon the desired elevation and direction of water discharge, auxiliary connected pipe sections can be utilized such as sections 71, 72 and 73. For discharge into a tank trunk, for example, a collar 74 can also be utilized to serve as an anchor for a flexible sleeve or hose (not shown).

The weight of the swingable pipe segment 63 is borne, for the most part, by a wire cable 77 secured to an anchor 78 and connected through a turnbuckle 79 to a post 81 at the apex of the tripod frame 2-1. A countervailing force is provided by a wire cable 82 extending from the post 81 to an anchor pad 83 on the fixed pipe section 36.

As will be appreciated, the swingable pipe segment 63 during transit is folded back into a fore and aft relation approximately parallel to and slightly higher than the fixed pipe segment 36 (see FIGURE 1). This compact arrangement of parts enables the apparatus to be towed readily and to be conveniently backed onto the bank 61, or levee, at the desired location relative to the body of water 86.

Upon arrival at the site, the truck driver can, without the help of anyone else, take hold of and swing the pipe segment 63 forwardly in the direction generally indicated by the arrow 87 and into the operative location shown in broken line in FIGURE 1.

At this juncture, the two pipe segments are firmly locked into position by a wedge type of latch 91. A wedge shaped pocket 92 on one edge of the fixed plate 32 and a wedge member 93 (secured by a retention chain 94) is inserted downwardly into the pocket 92 and, if necessary, lightly tapped with a hammer. The upper end 96 and the lower end 97 of the wedge project from the pocket 92 and overlie the underlying areas of the swingable plate 64. A recess 98in the plate 64 prevents interference with the pocket 92 as the movable plate 64 is moved into engagement with the fixed plate 32.

A gasket 101 is interposed between the faces or me movable plate 64 and the fixed plate 32 and as the wedging action takes place, an effective, water-tight seal is aiforded.

As a matter of importance, in that it enables only one man to place the pipes in operative condition, the two plates 32 and 64 are inclined at a slight angle in side elevation relative torthe vertical (see FIGURE 5) and the hinge 66 is also inclined at a slight angle in front elevation relative to the vertical (see FIGURE 4). The effect of this compound angular relationship is to cause the two interfaces (with interposed gasket) to seal very tightly under the gravitational force exerted by the swingable pipe. At the same time, however, the compound angles are not so great as to require undue effort in swinging the movable pipe in opposition to the gravity component.

With the discharge pipe located and locked forwardly in the position shown in broken line in FIGURE 1, the pickup truck is slowly backed up, the trailer passing over the curve 106 of the berm 107, thence downwardly on the bank until the wheels 14 are lodged in a pre-dug pit 108 and stopped by a corresponding mound 109 formed from the material removed from the pit. As an alternative to the pit and mound construction, wedges, blocks or timber crossties can be placed behind the wheels 14 for security.

With the wheels firmly positioned, the trailer is unhitched from the truck and the front end of the trailer is located so that the frame assumes the proper angle of inclination relative to the bank and the body of water.

In order to eifect this result, there is provided a pair of leg extensions 122 and 123 located alongside the corresponding tripod legs 22 and 23 and slidable relative thereto.

A bracket 124 is mounted on each of the upper ends of the leg extensions and loosely encompasses the underlying leg to allow of relative sliding motion therebetween. A somewhat similar type of guide bracket 126 is carried on each of the lower ends of the two tripod legs 22 and 23, the lower guide brackets 126 cooperating with the upper guide brackets 124 so that the leg extensions 122 and 123 can be lengthened to whatever extent is necessary to implant a corresponding pair of foot plates 132 and 133 firmly on the ground and with the frame at the desired angular inclination.

In the usual case the leg extensions will have to be forcibly lengthened, or jacked, so as to elevate the forward end of the trailer, as shown by the arrows 141 in FIGURE 2.

lacking is accomplished by actuating a crank on each of a pair of winches 142 and 143 mounted on the lower guide brackets 126. Wire. cables 127 and 128 terminate in hooks 131 and 132, respectively.

When it is desired to lengthen the leg extension, for example, the left-hand leg extension 122 shown in FIG- URE 3, the hook 131 is hooked over the edge of the upper guide bracket 124 secured to the leg extension 122 and the winch is cranked so that the upper bracket 124 and the attached leg section 122 are urged downwardly so that the foot plate 132 not only engages the ground but presses downwardly with such force as to lift the forward end of the trailer. This procedure is then repeated on the near leg 123.

In reversing this procedure at the conclusion of the job, the leg extensions are lifted in the direction of the arrow by inserting the hooks through openings 151 in the foot plates. See the position of the hook 132 in the near foot plate 133 in FIGURE 3, for example, which also illustrates the position of the hooks during transit.

For further security, one or more through. bolts 156 would ordinarily be placed through openings 157 in the lower guide bracket 126 and registering openings 158 in the slidable leg extensions 122 and 123.

With the jacking mechanism having elevated the forward end of the frame to the inclination shown in FIG- URE 2, the strainer 42 and the pump are both appropriately submerged in the waterway and the apparatus is ready for operation.

The pickup truck can thereupon be moved so as to make way for tank trucks, for example. As the tank truck drives up and the tank opening in brought into registry with the water discharge section 74, the engine is started. The high capacity pump 41 submerged in the water is extremely effective to deliver within seconds a flow measured in terms of thousands of gallons per minute. For some installations a remotely controlled start-stop mechanism is provided, although not shown herein, enabling the tank truck driver to control the operation of the pump without leaving his cab.

The unit is versatile in that it operates efficiently regardless of the angle of the bank, within limits.'Furthermore, one man, in a relatively short time, and using only simple hand tools, can set up the installation, and in an even shorter time return the apparatus to its transit condition.

Remote areas requiring temporary, high volume pump installations can therefore be serviced in an economical fashion and with a maximum of flexibility in adapting to widely variant field conditions.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable water pump comprising:

(a) a trailer member including an elongated frame supported on ground engaging wheels;

(b) adjustable support means on the leading end of said trailer for controlling the angle of inclination of said frame with said wheels located on the banks of a body of water;

(0) a water pipe carried on said adjustable support means, one end of said pipe extending downwardly into the body of water, the other end of said pipe projecting upwardly to deliver water at an elevated location;

(d) a water pump located in said pipe; and,

(e) means carried on said frame for driving said pump.

2. A portable water pump as in claim 1 wherein said pump is located adjacent said one end of said pipe, and said pump driving means is an internal combustion engine operatively connected to said pump.

3. A portable water pump as in claim 2 wherein said Water pipe comprises two segments hingeably joined, one of said segments being foldable relative to the other between a first position substantially parallel to said other segment and a second position substantially co-linear therewith.

4. A portable water pump as in claim 3 wherein the longitudinal axis of said engine is transverse to the longitudinal axis of said frame, and wherein the median vertical plane of said engine is inclined relative to the plane of said frame, said engine being substantially upright in in clined attitude of said frame with said trailer located on the banks of the body of water.

5. A portable water pump as in claim 4 wherein said one of said water pipe segments is stationary and said other of said water pipe segments is movable, the axis of the hinge joining said segments being inclined relative to the vertical and being substantially normal to a line connecting the axes of said pipe segments and passing through said hinge.

6. A portable water pump as in claim 5 further including means for clamping said segments into water tight relation.

7. A device as in claim 6 wherein said clamping means is a wedge pocket on said one segment and a mating wedge on said other segment.

8. A device as in claim 1 including hitch means for connecting said trailer member to a towing vehicle.

9. A device as in claim 8 wherein said water pump is of the axial flow variety.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,214,677 9/1940 North 103-218 2,664,052 12/1953 Schmidt 103-218 3,008,422 11/1961 Crisafulli 10387 ROBERT M. WALKER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

